The Mute Ninja
by WaterWolfAngel43
Summary: Inquisitor Lavellan has closed the breach that had sent fear to the people of Haven. But before the breach closed, a girl no order than 13 fell from the breach and onto the doorstep of the Chantry. What was most unusual were her appearance.
1. Chapter 1

***A/N: Hello, readers, to my Dragon Age/Naruto fanfiction. If you have read my other stories on this website or on Wattpad, I have been doing a lot of first crossovers, but there is a first time for everything. Although, this one was a bit harder. I kept thinking about Dragon Age/Soul Eater or Dragon Age/Naruto, both, obviously, with my OC characters. Also, the internal debate on which game should the story take place (which is mostly a headache because Dragon Age 2 and Dragon Age: Inquisition are more appealing to me than Origin which I just started). Both crossovers constantly nagging at my brain, so I'm just trying out Naruto and Inquisition first since it seems easier and possibly lowers the scale of Mary Sue, which I promise my character is not. Anyway, I'm done ranting, so let's begin the story.***

* * *

I awoke to the sound of sirens. I jolted up, but immediately regretted it as a wave of dizziness clouded my head. Once my head cleared, my ears twitched to the sound of footsteps. They seemed to be running based on the sound and distance of each step taken. I payed little attention to my surrounds, which was a mistake. I ran towards the footsteps just to be met with a battle. Weapons struck armed and unarmed bodies of what looked like civilians and warriors. Although, it was strange to see some wield staffs as weapons, but it was even stranger to see elements and sparks of light coming from them.

One seemed to notice me and lunged forward with his sword. I, swiftly, took out my kunai as I dodged. Being the third fastest ninja in team 7, after Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke, I was able to go behind the armored man and slash his back. He let out a painful cry but swung his sword back. I bend backwards, my hood falling off, just in time to dodge before twisting and stabbing his thigh and neck. I succeed in killing him as his body limped but not without making some gurgling noises as the blood poured out of his wounds.

I glanced around the battle field and noticed four individuals struggle against the army surrounding them. I took out a summoning scroll, calling Marrok. I always kept a summoning scroll just in case I needed the wolf. He appeared seconds after I activated the scroll.

' _It appears we are no longer in the Hidden Leaf village._ ' His red eyes scanned the area as his black fur stood, sensing danger around every corner.

' _Can you take me to those four_?' I pointed to where they are. He nodded and bowed, allowing me to climb onto his back. He stood on his four paws and ran towards the group. We made it just in time as the enemy decided to leap towards one of the members of the group. Marrok stomped onto a woman with a staff before she could even produce elemental attacks there way. I jumped off and stabbed her neck before attacking the next. I was able to do a quick hand seal, creating half a dozen shadow clones to help with the army.

Once they were defeated, one of them, an elf, began reloading the trebuchet. Once she was done, the trebuchet launched at the snowy mountain creating an avalanche, buring the rest of the approaching army. The allies cheered but was soon stopped as a dragon attacked the area. How is that possible? They only exist in fairy tales! It swooped by and destroyed the trebuchet before circling the area.

"Everyone, to the gates!" The elf ordered. The group, including us and whoever was around, quickly followed. We rushed pass the man who held the gate open before closing it.

"We need to get everyone into the Chantry! It's the only building that might hold against...that beast! At the point just make them work for it!" The man hurried up the stairs. My ears twitched to the sound of weapons clashing against each other and people's cry for help. I gripped onto the handle of my daggers before bolting past the army, but not without leaving a few wounds on their limbs, toward the voice. I stopped in front of a burning house. There were a few burning houses close by, too. The scene trigger parts of my memory which I had to shake my head in order to have a clear mind. I preformed a few hand signs for an air style jutsu to clear the fire. I then broke down the doors to free whoever was trapped inside.

I glanced up. The dragon was now circling the huge building. The people, including the group from before, rushed towards the building which I assume is the Chantry. The doors slammed open as an old man wearing religious robes gripped his side. "Move! Keep going! The Chantry is your shelter!" Marrok and I rushed inside along with others. The old man collapsed againsted another who dragged him inside.

"A brave man." He said, "He stood against a Venatori."

"Briefly. I am no Templar." The religious man replied.

With all the chaos happening inside and outside, I did nothing but leaned against the stone wall. I was in an unknown territory with strangers who could be hostile. I was very out numbered, even with my shadow clones. The only thing I could do is blend in and keep silent which is pretty easy considering I can't speak. I pulled my ears back before putting my hood back up incase my silence wasn't working. Also I had a feeling they would not be kind to those with my...appearance.

"Inquisition! Follow Chancellor Roderick through the Chantry! Move!" The blond man from before shouted.

"Herald...if you are meant for this, if the inquisition is meant for this, I pray for you." The man, I assumed was Chancellor Roderick, said before he was half carried, half dragged away. The elf turned towards my direction but was cut off by the blond man. "They'll load the trebuchets. Keep the Elder One's attention until we are above tree line." He continued as she walked away. "If we are to have a chance-if you are to have a chance-let that thing hear you."

She walked out the door along with the rest of her group. I stared as they left and hesitated a bit. Why am I hesitating? I don't know these people, why should I help them? ' _Why would you help Sakura?'_ I found myself asking. I thought back to our first test as team 7 with Kakashi-sensei. It was obvious I hated Sakura and that she hated me, so why would I help her after hearing her scream? ' _Because she is my teammate.'_ I answered.

...Damn it! I pushed myself off the wall and walked towards the door with Marrok by my side. I left the Chantry building and followed the noise of clashing metal. The sound died down a bit and was replaced with the creaking of a turning wheel. Once I arrived the elf was turning the wheel of the trebuchet as her companions shielded her. Before I could interfere the battle was over and the trebuchet was armed and ready. The moment of silence was interrupted with the roars of the dragon.

"Move! Now!" She ordered as the dragon dove towards us. It spat fire onto the ground, almost creating tiny explosions. Marrok and I dove right passed the fire just in time. Everyone else must have taken cover far from the trebuchet and the dragon except the Herald.

' _Shizuka, I believe it is time to leave.'_ Marrok said.

' _We cannot just leave her there._ '

' _This is not our fight!_ ' He tried to reason. ' _We cannot get involved!'_

' _We are already involved!_ ' He gave a tired sigh. Marrok knew I was right. The moment I summoned him out of that scroll, he knew.

"Enough!" A deep voice called out over the chaos. The owner of the voice was a deformed creature. Red crystals seemed to protrude out of his head as the tissues of his torso were exposed. He had anger and power in his eyes. The dragon stumbled onto the ground in front of the elf.

"Pretender," the creature said, "you toy with forces beyond your ken. No more."

"Whatever you are, I'm not afraid!" She said.

"Words mortals often hurl at the darkness. Once they were mine, they are always lies. Know me. Know what you have pretended to be. Exalt the Elder One! The _will_ that is Corypheus! You will kneel." He outstretched his arm and pointed at her.

"You'll..You'll get nothing out of me!"

"You will resist. You will always resist. It matters not." He held a strange orb as red electricity danced around it and his hand. It didn't seem to hurt him due to his lack of pain or slight twitching. "I am here for the anchor. The process of removing it begins now." He free hand began to glow red as did the elf's which glowed green. Something about that glow was vaguely familiar.

"It is your fault, 'Herald.' You interrupted a ritual years in the planning, and instead of dying, you stole its purpose." Her face twisted with pain and he flicked his wrist. Her hand was stretched out as if it was being pulled by and invisible force. "I do not know how you survived, but what marks you have 'touched', what you flail at rifts, I crafted to assault the very heavens." He curled his fingers as she collapsed to the ground. The dragon hissed beside her. "And you used the anchor to undo my work! The gall!"

"What is this thing meant to do?" She demanded.

"It is meant to bring certainty where there is none. For you, the certainty that I would always come for it." He trudged over to her and grabbed her wrist, pulling her off the ground. She struggled in his grip, but it only seemed to make the grip tighter. A part of me wanted to step in, to help her but this was an unknown enemy who was clearly more powerful than me. I have to create a strategy.

"I once breached the Fade in the name of the another, to serve the old Gods of the empire in person. I found only chaos and corruption, dead whispers, for a thousand years I was confused. No more. I have gathered the will to return under no name but my own, to champion withered Trevinter and correct this blighted world. Beg that I succeed, for I have seen the throne of the Gods and it was empty." He threw her like a rag doll towards the trebuchet. The elf let out a cry of pain as her back slammed onto the trebuchet. "The anchor is permanent. You have spoiled it with your stumbling."

I saw my chance to strike. I took my kunai and threw it towards him along with my shurikens. The weapons embedded his shoulder but he made no effort to acknowledge them or cry out in pain. Instead he turned towards me and glared. He would have done something more if the Herald hadn't unloaded the trebuchet. What ever was attached to the trebuchet was now launched onto the mountain above us causing an avalanche. Marrok grabbed my hoodie with his teeth and carried me as he ran away from the avalanche only to fall down a large hole.

I twisted my body, so I was sitting on Marrok's back as we landed safely onto the snow covered ground. I hopped off. The fall was at least 15-20 feet at least. My ears twitched to a painful gasp. It was the Herald. Her hand glowed as she tried to stand. Once she gain her footing she glanced around tunnel before her eyes fell on me.

"Who are you?" She asked. I said nothing. How could I? My vocal cords are damaged-possibly forever. I looked away. We stood at a dead end of the tunnel. I pointed towards our only exit. She seemed to understand. "Let's go, then." She led the way out. We walked for a few minutes and since then the tunnel got colder. Ice, as clear as water but almost as blue as a lake, stuck to the walls and ceilings like glue and more snow coated the ground making it look almost pure white.

" _Wait_!" Marrok warned.

" _What is it?_ " I paused.

" _I sense something is not right_."

"What's wrong?" The Herald asked. I ignored her question focused my vision onto every corner of the tunnel. I looked behind her to find...ghost? I'm not a superstitious person and am a skeptic in the subject that are related to the paranormal and spirits, but this is ridiculous! There were at least three of them in a bright shade of green just floating about. It was strange. If I stared I felt some sort of malevolent vibe coming from those three. Suddenly a bright green vortex sucked the ghosts in and disappeared. That's when I noticed the Herald's hand was raised. I assume that's what caused the vortex. We resumed walking until we reached the opening of the tunnel. Outside was a blizzard. The storm spout innumerable amount of snow making the temperature drop by the minute and making it harder to see.

"This way." The Herald walked towards the right. "I hope." She muttered. Due to the heavy wind my hood fell and began covering my red hair with snow. The wind became stronger so I had to rely on Marrok to guide me towards the right direction. I shivered but continue walking. My tail wrapped itself tightly around my torso as my ears flatten themselves against my head. I barely heard the elf huff over the sound of my chattering teeth. We walked aimlessly for minutes and the storm hasn't improved one bit. My face and ears felt numb and my boots were soaked. It wasn't until a few minutes later did the blizzard died down, but added a few more layers of snow (which now reaches above my knees). Up ahead was a used camping supply. Whoever used it left the sleeping bag (which was covered in snow) and an empty pot which was just above the extinguish firewood. We trudged passed the used camp since most of the supplies were soaked and would not be of any use. It wasn't until I collapse the I began to hear voices. By then, my face had already met with the snow, too exhausted to get up. The only thing I remembered was being picked up but warm strong arms before slipping into unconsciousness.


	2. Chapter 2

Shizuka woke up feeling well rested and surprisingly warm. Her ears twitched to the sound of wood popping as fire devoured it. At the moment she wondered if it was her turn to guard the camp to let Sasuke and Sakura get some rest. Kakashi-sensei assigned partners for the team. Shizuka thinks it's a working progress because Kakashi seems to switch it up a few times.

Shizuka sat up and rubbed her eyes to rid them of any ounce of grogginess left. She stretched her arms; her ears pulling back as she yawned. Her eyes began to focus as she looked around the tent. She was confused. Her tent was bigger than its original size and didn't seem very convenient to use for traveling to another village, especially during missions. Shizuka looked around her tent before staring at her weapons which settled onto the nightstand beside her along with her headband, pouch, and clothes. She glanced down. Her new clothing seemed almost appropriate for cold weather. It was strange. She didn't recall ever buying them or changing out of her hoodie. Now that she thought about it, she doesn't see Marrok at all. She reached out for her pouch only to feel a jolt of electricity run up her arm and down her spine. Her hand recoiled from the sudden shock. She rubbed her fingers, the shock stung but it didn't leave a mark. For a brief moment she thought she saw a faint blue color. She wasn't sure because of how clear the force field was. Whoever conjured the force field must have used a lot of chakra to not only create it but to maintain it.

The Chunin would have summoned Marrok, but she needed her summoning scroll. Kakashi-sensei hadn't taught her or the others how to properly summon without using the scroll.

Shizuka's ears twitched to the sound of crunching snow as someone walked towards the tent she was currently in. She tensed up. She was unarmed and had no idea where she was or where Marrok was. He would never abandon her, but where is he? She bowed her head and pulled her hood up. Without her weapons and the extra weight of her pouch, she can be almost as fast as Sasuke, but only if the enemy decides to take down the force field would she have a speed advantage. For the moment, she would have to be as intimidating as she can possibly be.

"Nobody here will harm you." Someone said gently. The owner sounded masculine despite the soft tone. It almost felt like someone whispered in her ear instead of sitting next to her which a strange man was doing. He sat with his legs crossed, facing her. She jumped back, her hood tilted back as her hands went straight towards her thigh, where her pouch should have been only to feel the fabric of 'her' new clothes. Her breath caught in her throat as she realized how unarmed she was. She had only just finished her Chunin exam and had not learn any new jutsus or fighting techniques besides chakra control, but that would not help her at this moment. Shizuka was starting to wish that she had asked Kiba about his Fang-on-Fang jutsu. Or at least had the scroll to summon Marrok.

' _No, Shizuka! You can do this!'_ She told herself. She crouched low, baring her nails and curling her lips back to show her sharp fangs. Again, trying to look intimidating to scare the stranger away. The only thing the man did was phase in front of her and tap her nose while saying,"Boop!"

"Cole! There you are! I was wondering where you were-" Shizuka turned her head towards the enterance of the tent. There stood a bald elf. "Ah, it seems you are awake!"

Shizuka sneezed.

"And with a cold, it would seem."

She rubbed her nose, wiping the snot away with her sleeves, her ears were brought back, flattening themselves against her head. She didn't realized her hood was down until the man, Cole, began to stroke them.

"Fluffy!"

She jumped back. Her back was now touching the fabric of the tent.

"It is quite fascinating. I have never seen, nor heard of a demon with animal appendage, but you do not seem like a demon. You seem more human. Very interesting." She narrowed her eyes. It wasn't the first time someone had compared her to a demon nor would it be the last, she suspected. She didn't care, though. She was more worried about Marrok and where he could be.

"He's outside, I'll go get him!" The man stood and walked out. Shizuka just stared at him. It probably wasn't the smart thing to do at the moment. She was unarmed and possibly still inside a force field and was now alone with someone who had just found her appearance fascinating. For all she knew, he could be like Orochimaru! Her tail stiffened at the thought of being subjected to another excruciating experiment.

"Here, drink this." The elf stood in front of her holding out a vial of red liquid. She eyed both him and the mysterious liquid before sneezing again. She felt light headed. Her face started to feel warm. "Drink, it'll help. I promise it's not poison."

She took the vial in her hands and sniffed. She didn't like how red the liquid look, but it smelt so pleasant.

Shizuka's ears twitched at the sound of her name. She looked up and there stood Marrok. She stood up so fast she felt dizzy, but ignored it and ran straight towards him to hug him. Marrok has been with her since she escaped Orochimaru. Just seeing him there reassured her that he hasn't left her yet.

Marrok sat there, letting the girl hug him while he focused his senses on the two strangers who were present. The elf looked a bit alarmed and confused of the girl's actions, whereas the man beside him remained completely calm. He wrapped him tail around the girl, pulling her closer while giving the two a warning growl. Their reunion was cut short when Shuzika began to cough into Marrok's fur. She pulled her face away, her nose red and stuffy and her eyes a bit puffy. She coughed a few more times before the elf once again tried give her the suspiously red liquid. Marrok stood between the vial and Shizuka and began sniffing the around the head and neck of the vial before the elf could protest or try to shoo him away. Marrok was far better at identifying scents than Shizuka and would have easily identified if the liquid was poisonous. From the ones he had encountered, they seemed to give off the same strange bitterness that would make you want turn and run. This one, however did not have that trait. It smelt sweet like vanilla or cherry.

Marrok gave Shizuka his nod of approval and allowed her to drink from the vial. She coughed afterwards and stuck her tongue out. It smelt better than it tasted. It didn't take long til her head felt cooler and she was able to turn her head without getting dizzy. She felt herself become more alert with a sudden boost of energy, but she wasn't hyper.

Shizuka's ears twitched to the sound of more footsteps. They were lighter than the ones she heard previously, maybe female. But the other was much heavier than the ones beside them. Male perhaps. Her tail twitched slightly but stayed still as two more people walked into the tent. One was a red haired elven woman and the other was a blonde man. Both seem familiar, more so the elf than the man.

"Well, I'm glad to see that you are awake." The woman said. She smiled and crouch down to be the same height as the girl before her.

"Inquisitor, we are not sure what she is, she may be a demon." The blonde man next to her said. Shizuka rolled her eye. It wasn't the first time someone had called her a demon, nor would it be the last, she felt. She had gotten so used to the villagers back in the Hidden Leaf Village calling her a demon, shunning her, and sometimes ignoring her completely, like she didn't exist, which made it hard for her to readjust her life back in the village. At some point, she actually started to believe she was a demon. A demon created by a monster out of scientific experiment. An experiment to determine the lifespan of a human combined with one of an animal. Of course as a procaution, Orochimaru used her for that purpose. And, of course, with all the mixed chemicals and countless injections, it affected her appearance, including her hair and eyes.

"Whatever she is, she saved my life and I would like to thank her. So, thank you." The Inquisitor smiled at Shizuka and gave her a small nod. Shizuka tilted her head in confusion. What exactly did she do to save her life? From what she could remember, she helped the elf and her team to reach the Chantry, cool down the burning buildings, and distract Corypheus for a second before the Inquisitor launched the final trebuchet, causing the avalanche. But none of these, in her opinion, should be considered "life saving". Maybe for those trapped inside burning buildings.

"Inquisitor," a woman around Shizuka's height, which was 4'11", maybe taller. It was hard to say since the young girl sat on her knees with her companion laying behind her. "We will arrive at our destination within days." She said.

"Thank you, make sure our supplies are packed and ready for travel."

"Yes, Inquisitor." The woman made a small gesture with her arms, which Skizuka assumed was a salute before she left.

"Get some rest," the Inquisitor turned to Shizuka, "we will be leaving in a few hours."

* * *

Skyhold was an impressive and large building. From her point of view, Skyhold was a enormous castle that made its home onto both mountain peaks. The castle itself seemed clean and strong and able to fit their current capacity, including whoever resides in the building. But they still had a long ways to go.

* * *

Shizuka sat sat on the stone steps just near the entrance of Skyhold with her head down, hood up, tail around her waist, under her hoodie, and Marrok laying on the grass before her. It had turned out that the fortress had been abandoned. Shizuka found that hard to believe. Skyhold was in great condition, despite the occasional spider webs. Then again, it could have been abandoned months before they arrived and took almost immediate ownership...

She lost her train of thought as she heard the people, up the steps ahead of her cheer. She ignored them and stared at the ground as a new thought plagued her thoughts. Where was she? How did she get here and where is home? Does her home even exist here?

She leaned her head against her hand as she glared at the ground. She hated not knowing things and she hated these types of questions. She felt like they could take days, weeks, months, or maybe years to answer. Shizuka is normally a patient person, but these questions made her anxious. The reason she tried her best to ignore during their trip to Skyhold. She couldn't risk letting her guard down, especially around people who were already suspicious of her. Trying to keep her distance from them didn't lessen their suspicions either. It was strange how the Inquisitor, Ellana Lavellan, she later learned, and the two men, Cole and Solas, would try to interact with her; The Inquisitor and Solas trying to get her to talk and Cole spouting nonsense about how it "was not her fault".

Although, both elves' efforts were not as strange as Cole's. They were also not the only ones who attempted to get her to talk. It reminded her of her team. Their shenanigans of finding a way for her to speak or to improve their obvious language barrier amused her to the point where she almost allowed herself to smile. She swore she was the only mature one of the team, despite Kakashi-sensei, being the older yet childish, and Sasuke who was always more advanced, yet often allows himself to be dragged into Naruto's schemes.

' _Those morons,"_ she thought to herself as she glanced up. " _I wonder what they are doing now."_

 ***A/N: I am finally done with this chapter! Thank you to those who read this and to those who are patient enough. I am sorry that I updated later than I would have like, but since it is summer vocation I hope that I would be able to update more frequently.**

 **First, I would like to thank Lynnioa, Sw3x, Zomgirl47, and helkil for following and Sw3x again for favoriting. This is my first attempt at a Naruto crossover and I'm so glade that you enjoyed this story enough to follow and favorite. And if you like to read more about Shizuka, please read my first Naruto fanfic "The Girl With Wolf Ears and Tail" on wattpad. I haven't updated in over a year, but I am working on the next chapter and making it longer as an apology for taking an unexpected year off the story. I am hoping to publish the next chapter before the end of the month as I am planning to write the whole Chunin exam in one chapter, if not then more than half of the exam. So hopefully you'll enjoy that.**

 **Also, because I just finish high school and am planning on getting a summer job before going off to college I will try to publish in the weekends or weekdays, depending on the situation, character placements, and my word limit, which is 2,000 words or over.**

 **I will also try to answer any question any of you have, feel free to ask anything as long as it's appropriate.**

 **Anyway, I'm done rambling, and I hope to talk to you soon!***


	3. Chapter 3

Shizuka imagined Crestwood to have a pleasant weather. The slight fog did remind her of her first 'B' ranked mission. She thought back to how Naruto and Sasuke managed to work together, almost flawlessly against Zabuza. She was surprised that they managed to work together at all, given the fact they try to best each other at anything-literally anything. She also was surprised that Sakura even offered to help her carry their sensei onto Marrok. They made it clear how they didn't like each other as did Sasuke and Naruto and yet they managed survive and complete the mission as a team. She did wish that she could have been of more help during the mission, but she reminded herself that both she and her team were fresh from the academy and still had a lot to learn in order to become a full-fledge ninja.

Aside from the small flashback, the rest of Crestwood were experiencing heavy rain. Which gave her an excise to keep her hood up.

"Glad to see safe, Inquisitor." A dwarf woman around her height approached the group, meeting them halfway. "We've got trouble ahead."

"I'm sure it's nothing the Inquisition can't handle."

"Careful, your worship. That optimism might be catching."

"Are things that bad?"

The dwarf said nothing. Instead, she lead the Inquisitor so they were both facing the ocean. Shizuka couldn't see over the other members of the Inquisition, as they were eager to see what was the problem, but from the barely audible "oh" from the Inquisitor herself, she assumed that it was not good.

"Crestwood was the site of a flood ten years ago during the Blight. It's not the only rift in the area, but after it appeared, corpses started walking out of the lake. You'll have to fight through them to get to the cave where Ser Hawke's Grey Warden friend is hiding."

Shizuka stopped listening after hearing about walking corpses. This was ridiculous! The dead cannot walk among the living! It shouldn't be possible. The brain could not function after a person is dead and with all the years it took for the body to decay and only leaving behind a skeleton, there would not be any muscle or blood left for the body to move.

After her small rant, she followed the team away from the camp. She wasn't sure what their objective was, so she'll have to rely on following the group.

"There must be a way to get to the rift in the lake." The Inquisitor thought aloud. Shizuka glanced at the lake. The lake was immense and affected by the rain. She then glanced to where the rift took place. The rift hovered over the vast water at a great distance from the group. She thought of how easily Marrok can leap into the air-but stopped herself. Marrok was a large wolf and often took long strides, but even with this distance he would not be able to reach the rift. Especially if he had to carry the others, too.

Before she continued to follow, she noticed a boat just sitting on land, barely touching the water as it constantly reached out for it. Unfortunately, the boat was aged and small and didn't seem very reliable to carry their team, including Marrok, across and towards the rift.

' _We'll find another way.'_ Marrok stood before the Chunin and lead her to where the group went. She nodded and hurried to meet the others up hill.

She paused and wrinkled her nose in disgust before sneezing. She smelt something very odd and unpleasant, almost like rotting flesh. She ignored the smell and labeled it as "rotten leftover of someone else's dinner". As she had gotten closer, however, her ears began twitching to the sound of a whistle, a very faint one that seemed to belong to an object. Then came the creaking sound of something being tugged. She wasn't sure what to make with the information as it didn't seem useful to her or anyone, at the moment.

Once they reached flat land, it dawned on her exactly what her senses where capturing as the scene in front of her played.

In front of the young girl were two walking corpses with weapons, more specifically bows and arrows. Her tail tightened around her waist as felt her throat tighten and her face pale.

' _H..H-How is this possible?'_ She thought.

 _"...corpses started walking out of the lake..."_ Those lines replayed itself through her head like a broken record. Those were the exact word the scout from before had said.

Despite the fact that corpses can walk the earth, the Inquisitor and the rest of her companions charged towards the two. The girl thought they where insane. They had to be! Who in their right mind would battle a corpse?!

' _The Hokage...if it were to save the village...'_ She clutched her fists and bared her teeth. Her head was down, allowing her to glance at her headband. She thought of home and how many people would go toe-to-toe with the dead in order to save their home. ' _That's exactly what they are doing right now...'_

She glanced back up. The members of the Inquisition killed the dead. She felt angry. Why is it that she is so useless?! Why didn't she help? Why was she so weak?

' _You aren't weak. You were just scared. It's okay to be scared.'_ The soft wind seemed to carry the those words to her ears. The tone was calm and gentle, almost like a loving mother lulling her child to sleep with a song.

' _But I am_ ,' she relied back softly. It was not as soothing, but it was as soft as she could muster. ' _Being scared made me hesitate and that made me weak.'_ The wind didn't reply but the presence lingered a bit but soon faded as she moved towards the group.

"The Grey Wardens thank you for your aid, Inquisitor." The man in silver and blue armor said, saluting.

"What are the Grey Wardens doing in Crestwood?" She asked. Shizuka did not know who the Grey Wardens were or their importance, so she sat back and listened to the conversation.

"A Warden named Stroud is wanted for questioning." He answered. "We heard he'd passed through here, but the villagers knew nothing. They have troubles enough."

"What have you been told about this rogue Warden?"

"Warden-Commander Clarel ordered his capture. I can say no more than that." He paused a bit. "I hope Ser Stroud comes with us peacefully." The 'Grey Warden' said thoughtfully, almost reminiscent. "I trained under him for a time. He's a good man, I'm sure of that."

"Will you stay to fight the undead here?" The Inquisitor asked.

"My orders forbid it. Crestwood was only a detour. If the Inquisition can help, I beg you to do what you can. The villagers have already lost too many." The Inquisitor nodded before saying goodbyes with the man.

As the Inquisitor lead the group, Shizuka heard the other Grey Warden's conversation.

"Ser, are you sure we can't help the village?"

"Our orders are clear. if we can't find Warden Stroud, we return to the Commander with all haste."

"Still don't feel right."

' _It shouldn't.'_ She thought. From what she can guess, the Grey Wardens were supposed to help people in anyway they can, and judging from their armor and weapons, they also slay things. Monsters, perhaps. Like the ones she helped battle back at...what was that village called? Heaven? Haven? Something like that.

If that is their purpose, however, then taking orders such as that was contradictory. It didn't make sense to her.

"None of those Wardens mentions a new leader. I don't think they are part of Corypheus' plan to seize the order." The Inquisitor thought aloud. She seemed a bit suspicious as well. "I hope Hawke's Warden friend has answers for us."

* * *

They entered the house that belonged to the mayor of the village.

"The Inquisitor? Mayor Dedrick of Crestwood Village. At your service, despite everything." The old man said. He looked to be about forty, maybe fifty years old with long hair and what seemed to be formal attire.

"Your worship, is there anyway to stop the dead from rising?"

"The undead are appearing because of a rift in the Fade. How can I get to it?" She explained.

Shizuka was confused of the way she said "Fade", like it was a place and not a verb. She shrugged. The girl only recently learned of her whereabouts and very few things about Thedas; the Fade not being one of them. The Inquisition also only recently learned about her...condition and her lack of knowledge of the written language caused a problem. That is until Cole decided to step in as her interpreter.

"The light in the lake? It's coming from the caves below Old Crestwood. The Darkspawn flooded it ten years ago buring the Blight. It wiped out the village, killing the refugees we took in."

"I saw a dam. If we use it to drain the village, I can get to that Fade rift."

"Drain the-there must be some other way!" He seemed frantic. She didn't like the idea either. It might be their only water source the was conveniently close by, but it was the only way to stop the dead from rising. She shivered a bit at the thought of it.

"There's not. There's really not." The Iron Bull, who was the tallest and hard to miss, said. Shizuka still had no idea what he is.

"You'd have to evict the bandits in the old fort to use the dam. I can't ask you to risk your life."

"Trust me, I've fought worse than bandits and the undead." Despite only recently recruited, Shizuka had to agree with the Inquisitor. After all, they both seen and, somewhat, fought Corypheus.

"Then...," the mayor sighed. "Then I have no choice. This key unlocks the gate to the dam controls past the fort. The rift must be in the cave under Old Crestwood. But Inquisitor...I would not linger there."

The Chunin narrowed her eyes. The mayor seemed defeated and reluctant to give the Inquisitor directions and the key. Perhaps the lake _is_ the only water supply close by. But they needed to stop the undead before the village lose anymore people.

The Inquisitor said her goodbyes and they left.

* * *

"So, who's the kid?" The Iron Bull asked.

Shizuka glared at him from the side. She hates it when adults or teenagers older than her refer to her as a child. They aren't wrong. According to her age (thirteen), she is technically a child, but she is a ninja-in-training and a Chunin. She prefers to be treated as such.

"I...don't really know. She helped me during the battle in Haven." The Inquisitor answered.

"Okay," he stretched the word, more specifically the 'a'. "What about the wolf?"

"Her pet, maybe?"

Marrok growled at that. He doesn't like to be referred to as a 'pet'.

"Or not." She corrected herself, quickly.

He's her companion. After her escape from Orochimaru, he was there for her. He led her back to the village and stayed with her, as a protector. They were practically inseparable since.

The group walked in silence until they arrived at the keep.

"There's the keep the mayor talked about, and the bandits." Shizuka scanned the area, but could not spot the bandits. They must be on the other side of the doors.

"Gate open, not patrols. Risky, but we could rush it." The Iron Bull suggested.

The Inquisitor approached the doors with her staff in hand and began casting spells that involved fire, ice and lightning, using her staff to guide where she wanted the each spell to hit. It wasn't long til the doors were destroyed, but at the same time, it wasn't long until the bandits on the other side began to attack. Three took cover on each side of the walls, waiting for the bandits to seize fire.

Then the dogs were unleashed. They were ridiculously large, but we're still small compared to Marrok. Which made it easy for him to defeat all three.

Shizuka moved her small body towards the opening but stayed close to the walls. She pressed her ears closer to listen how many there were. Four, maybe five, but she could tell where they were. She looked up. The height of the wall was small compared to the tree she and her team were forced to climb, using their chakra as part of their training. She was the first to complete it due to her determination to get it over with, but it could have nearly killed her, as she was completely drained and practically fell from the sky. She would have been roadkill if Marrok hadn't been there to catch her.

But if she used her chakra to climb the keep, there's a 50/50 percent chance that she would be have the energy and strength to accurately take down the enemy. Especially _if_ she were to do things with one chance-

The Iron Bull gave a loud war cry before charging in the keep.

Shizuka shook her head. He was an idiot.

* * *

 ***A/N: And here we are, ladies and gentlemen, with another chapter. I'm hoping I got the characters right (I'm talking about the before they reached the keep). Hopefully I didn't rush it too much. I had a lot of fun and ideas of how to put more of Shizuka's background into this chapter. Sadly, I did not want add more of her skills in this chapter because I'm working on my timing in this story and not rush it all at once so the story should progress nicely. Hopefully.**

 **Anyway, I would like to thank Alternate RedSkys, crawler123, redcollector, and Micheal 13 for the follow and Alternate RedSkys, crawler123, redcollector, and helkil again for the follow.**

 **To Alternate RedSkys: The story is interesting and I am working on their reactions. Hopefully I get it right and it's genuine enough. And perhaps you are talking about Varric? They haven't meet yet, but he has seen her around, only wearing her hood.**

 **To helkil: I'm really glad you like it. To answer you questions, she is paired with Gaara, but only in Naruto Shippuden. Although, she barely knows Gaara, because I felt off during the Chunin exams, but I am working the the next chapter which should be up soon. And she is bisexual. Her sexuality is not specified yet, but I'm leaning towards bisexual. I don't plan on pairing her with any Dragon Age characters because she's only thirteen and still a kid.**

 **And to Sw3x: I found to crossover unusual, too until I read some and I started to really like them. And in some of them, they explain why magic and chakra are similar and I thought of how awesome it was that someone put so much thought in it. And I hope you like this chapter, too.**

 **Anyways, until next time.***


	4. Chapter 4

Shizuka ran into the keep, after the Iron Bull and dodged a few arrows before sending a kunai towards the enemy. The kunai grazed their arm, but based on the painful cry she had heard, she assumed the knife pierced through their clothing and created a deep wound. She aimed another towards their companion, this time embedding itself just below the ribcage. The Chunin glanced at Iron Bull as he charged up the stairs to meet their attackers head-on, then towards the entrance of the keep where the rest of the group stormed in after them.

Behind her, Sera used her arrows to deliver a finishing blow towards the two wounded archers onto the roof. Meanwhile, the Inquisitor used her magic to freeze one of the armored bandits, freezing them in place temporarily. While he stood still, Shizuka ran up the stairs to plunge her blade into the armored man's back. But because the man was encased in a thick layer of ice, the kunai was not able to create a deep wound. The ice melted off, allowing the bandit to resume his movements. He turned towards Shizuka as he unsheathed his sword. He swung his sword around in which she barely blocked with her kunai. The man was well trained and had more upper body strength, and unlike his comrades he did not own a shield. Each attack that she blocked would send a wave of vibrations up her arm, but with each attack, he would advance forward until her back was towards the wall. She glanced at the wall behind her then back at the man. She would have to find a way to turn this battle towards her favor, or she's done for. Then the gears in her head started turning.

' _This better work!'_ She thought.

She dodged the man's next attack then launched herself towards his abdomen, forcing him back. Then, she used the wall to push herself above him before kicking his head, causing his helmet to fall off his head. As the man seemed disoriented, she took the opportunity to slide her feet underneath him and then driving the kunai through the jugular. She clung onto his shoulder as he collapsed backwards onto the ground, firmly placing her knees onto his chest. She pulled the weapon out, panting as the man drowned in his own blood.

Shizuka turned her head and observed her companions as they fought the remaining bandits. Inquisitor Lavellan swung her staff towards one of the bandits as they got too close, then summoned lightening began emitting from the staff. Marrok pounced onto a heavily armored bandit and began sinking his teeth into the man's neck. The Iron Bull swung his weapon heavily across a bandit's torso, determined for a one-hit-one-kill. Sera assisted the Inquisitor by firing arrows at her target's head.

Once the entrance of the keep was cleared, the group traveled further into the keep, taking out more bandits along the way. Shizuka panted as she wiped the sweat off her brow (despite the cold, rainy weather), pushing her hood back a bit but not too much for her ears to become visible. She hardly noticed, however, as she was focused on slowing her rapidly beating heart.

"Good view. The Inquisition could use this place." The Iron Bull commented approvingly.

* * *

"That building on the dam must be where we can open the floodgates."

The group entered the building, finding it vacant aside from the two people crouched near the fireplace. Both jumped to their feet, alarmed by the sound of footsteps and the door opening and closing. The woman gasped, "I knew this was a mistake."

"We didn't know you were here, Ser. Please don't tell anyone!" Her companion plead. He looked as frighten as the woman, possibly imagining the worst punishments that come to mind.

"How did you get past the guards?" The Inquisitor asked.

"There weren't any when we got here." The woman answered, her voice shaky.

"We just heard you kill the bandits, your worship. We didn't know you were moving in. We promise. You won't tell people we were here, will you?" The man hesitantly asked. His whole body seemed stiff as his voice cracked, showing signs of nervousness and anxiety.

It made the Inquisitor a bit uncomfortable. Trying to lighten the mood, she joked about the pub hardly being a romantic place, but promised not to tell. Inquisitor Lavellan moved passed the two doors ahead, revealing the controls for the dam. She walked behind the large wheel and attempted to turn it. However, being a mage meant she lacked upper body strength. She leaned her body forward, trying to push as much as she could, her face turning red but she managed with the Iron Bull helping.

Shizuka's perked to the sound of rushing water. "That sounds like it worked. Let's go take a look." The Inquisitor suggested. The group followed her back towards the lake, passing a dragon as they crossed the bridge. "Today is a good day. Today is a very good day." The Iron Bull said excitedly. Shizuka rolled her eyes. After her first encounter back at Haven, she decided that dragons were not her favorite mythical creatures. Would they be considered mythical, however? It is obvious that whatever world they are in-the world of Thedas-that dragons are in fact real. They are not just creatures that every kid would fantasize meeting. They are now flesh and bone.

The young Chunin slipped clumsily on the muddy, slippery ground, falling face forward. She steadily stood, wiping the mud off her hands before wiping her face. She heard a few (pretty much the only other three that were present) laugh softly at her clumsiness. She pulled her hood down to cover her face, flushed with embarrassment, and continued walking. As they walked closer to the lake, Shizuka started noticing something was off, but she couldn't identify what was bothering her.

' _I smell it, too.'_ Marrok said. Was that it? She sniffed the air. There was a subtle hint of a rancid oder in the air, too faint for her to notice the first time. Her eyes narrowed, has the lake always smelled this bad? As they walked closer, the smell had gradually gotten stronger. She took out her kunai, preparing herself for whatever or whoever would pop out.

She noticed the others prepared themselves also, but only the Iron Bull would charge. Both Sera and the Inquisitor would distance themselves away from the strange creatures. It was only then she saw the bright green vortex; The rift. She preformed a series of hand signs to summon two clones, then dashing towards one of the deformed creatures. As the Inquisitor encased the creature with ice, she was able to drive the blade into its chest; her clones doing the same on both of its sides. However, as the ice began to melt off, she felt a wave of heat and anger. She growled. Why was she angry all of a sudden? Who cares, just kill the damn thing! She bared her teeth, and with a silent battle cry, began tearing the demon to shreds, not noticing (or maybe not caring) that her kunai began melting as the weapon met with its lava-like flesh.

The demon howled in pain and swat at the girl with its claws, pushing her to the side. As Shizuka slid against the muddy ground, Marrok stepped in. He stood in front of her, baring his teeth and charged. He jumped over the demon and swiftly latched onto its back as he began biting and clawing at its head and shoulders. With his weight, he was able to push the demon down, using his teeth to take chunks of its neck out, then it finally disintegrated into the ground.

Shizuka tried to stand, but she felt a painful throbbing at her side. She gritted her teeth pushing herself to stand, only to crumble back down from the pain. It hurt to breathe. Her hand went to her side, withdrew it immediately as the stinging got worse. Her eyes got watery, but she forced the tears back. She's a ninja and ninjas do not cry, especially over a small wound like this. Marrok made his way towards her and offered to help her stand. He could smell the blood. As angry as he was, he already took it out on the demon who caused this.

The young ninja placed her hand onto his back and slowly began to stand, and gently laid across his back. With her condition, she would not be able to walk back to the group as they finished the last wave of demons and spirits. Marrok moved towards the group as the Inquisitor sealed the rift. Once she saw them, she rushed over. Shizuka's breath caught in her throat as the Inquisitor lifted her hoodie a bit, not enough to expose her tail, but enough to see the wound clearly. The wound went from her left ribcage and across her back. She could see small patches of fur shedding off her tail, but because of the lack of lighting, the Inquisitor could only assume the demon had also manage to grazed her tail. Inquisitor Lavellan rummaged through her bag for healing potions and gave one to the girl. "Here, drink this," she said.

Shizuka grimaced at the sight of the liquid, remembering how it tasted the last time she drank from it. She could hear the Iron Bull cursed softly as he and Sera walked towards the three. Her arm reached out towards the flask, biting back a pained gasp from the movement. Slowly, she sat up, clutching her side with her free hand while she lifted the head of the flask towards her lips, drinking from it. It was strange. The last time she drank it, it smelt sweet and tasted bitter. This one, however, was almost tasteless. The throbbing intensified, making her gasp in pain, then dulled down, but still tingled. It almost felt numb.

The Inquisitor stared at the sky. The sky had gotten darker, and the rain got worse. "We should take shelter." Right beside them were houses that seemed to have been burned down long ago. Some remained standing while others did not have a roof or walls at all. They would not be able to prepare proper fire to warm them and cook meals with. The only other place nearby was the keep. As she made the decision, the Inquisitor lead her companions back to the keep. Shizuka hissed as Marrok began to stand. The throbbing may have stopped but the tingling sensation intensify with every move. It made her feel uncomfortable.

As the team retrace their steps back into the keep, they sat inside next to the fireplace. They used the wood from crates and the Inquisitor's fire magic to occupy the fireplace. They sat in a circle, eating what they brought with them while also packing whatever supplies the crates contained, along with food they deemed edible. Shizuka slowly regained feeling in her side and her back, she laid against Marrok who laid on the floor next to the fire. As she ate, she felt eyes on her. Occasionally she would see the three adults glancing her way, then looking away. It annoyed her. Once she was done, she brought her legs up, wrap her arms around them, then stare at the ground. She had no way of communicating with them. She could only answer "yes" or "no" questions with the shake of her head. She also could not write what she wanted to say with the lack of a notepad and pencil; she also noticed that their written language was completely foreign to her. She sighed. How could she learn to communicate with them if she cannot learn to read their language?

She yawned. She didn't notice how tired she was from the traveling and those battles moments ago. The silence was somewhat relaxing despite the awkwardness. She laid onto her uninjured side, letting Marrok's tail surround her as the heat of the fire warmed her up. All she wanted at the moment was to sleep.

* * *

 ***A/N: Hello guys, here is another chapter of the story. I hope you like this one. I was honestly kinda stuck with this one: what to do, what not to do, what should she do, how would they react, all that stuff. And Marrok in action. I'm trying to include him a lot more. I hate that I keep forgetting him in parts of the story, but I am trying to include him.**

 **Before I go to the reviews, I would like to thank ArisuTamaZuki and Scotthish Kitsune for following, and Ty Flyod for favoriting. I hope that you enjoyed this chapter and I'm so sorry for updating later than I hoped I would, since summer vacation is over for some of you. I guess one of my main problem is time managing. I tend to start writing late at night which ends up with me procrastinating and with writers block. Hopefully, I'll have a schedule that I can maintain and help me improve my writing.**

 **For the reviews:**

 **To helkil: I have actually done some research for chakra and that climbing trees and standing on water would actually techniques to improve chakra control. So she would have made that climb, but due to the heavy rain she probably would have slipped. And I'm not sure what you meant by "skipping a few chapters". I decided to use a time skip chapter because if I had continued on with Shizuka still in Skyhold, she would have avoid everyone, so in a way I'm forcing her to "socialize" with people other than Marrok.**

 **And to Alternate RedSky: You're correct. Shizuka does not have a lot of stamina because she prefers to get the job done as quick as possible, making her rely on speed. Yeah, Iron Bull is hard to kill, so when he charges into battle it's no problem, but when I do it, I nearly flip tables over how many times I've died. And for the time being, Shizuka will still have her kunai, but I'm thinking she'll need to upgrade to a different weapon and will definitely have more training for hand to hand combat.**

 **Before I go, if you have any suggestions to what weapon Shizuka should have, I would love to hear them. So, until next time, bye.***


	5. Chapter 5

_The sun shined down as the little girl played in her backyard. Her mother smiled happily as she stood beside the door frame. The girl's father chased her around as they played tag. The mother would have joined, if she hadn't been so far along. Her hands cradled the underside of her overgrown stomach, looking like she was due any moment now. She felt her I born child kick as her daughter and husband laughed. They wanted to join the fun._

 _'Not yet, little one.'_ _She thought to herself._

 _The little girl ran towards her mother, taking refuge behind the pregnant woman. Both of them giggled as the father crept closer, hugging his wife as well as peeking over her shoulder at his daughter, who shrieked and giggled more. However, the father had almost immediately forgotten about the game as he stared into his wife's eyes; a beautiful shade of blue. He thought of how lucky he was meeting her, marrying her, creating such a beautiful daughter and soon-to-be second child. He thought all this while brushing back a stran of red hair behind her ear, then caressing her cheek. She snorted at how "mushy" they have gotten over the years, her daughter gagging at how "icky" it was to see her parents like this._

 _Her stomach announced how hungry she was as she skipped into the house. The once bright, sunny day had gotten darker as her foot stepped onto the wooden floor. The girl's blood felt cold, her heart felt heavy, head hurting. What is this? What's going on? Where is her mother and father? The house covered in shadows, not a single light lit inside. She felt alone. Scared. What is happening? She wanted to move, but at the same time she couldn't bring herself to move a single inch. She barely allowed herself to breathe. The house was silent. The only sound, the beating of her heart._

 _Her feet felt wet. The girl looked down. It was hard to see, but she was able to make out what it was._

 _Blood._

 _Where did this come from? Why is ther blood on the floor? Mama! Papa!_

 _She turned, the only thing there were two silhouettes laying on the floor. Before she knew it, she knelt beside them. She could barely register what happened next. Her parents laid on the ground side by side, blood emitting from their bodies. She gasped, and cried, then sobbed onto her father's chest. Who would do something like this?_

 _Her body stiffened as she heard a cackle behind her. Her body moved without her permission while her brain screamed "no" over and over, each time getting stared at the face of a monster. At the face of death. The man was unnaturally pale with dark long hair. The hair covered his face, but she somehow knew who it was. Before anything else, she found her limbs restrained and herself laying down. Everywhere around her was cold and bright. And everything hurt. Why is everything hurting?_

 _She screamed as she felt a wave of sharp pain running across her stomach, arms, and back. She glanced down to see blood covering her body, her blood this time. As soon as the blood was drawn and the wound appeared, it disappeared leaving behind a pale mark in its place._

 _Please stop... She wanted to say. No more...no more...no...more... She wanted to say all theses things, but all she could is was scream in pain. Fear. Agony. She wanted it to end. Mama... Papa... Make the bad man stop... Her voice hurt. She couldn't speak. She couldn't scream anymore. She laid there and cried._

* * *

Shizuka's body jolted, making her sit up, heart racing. Her ears folded down, tail wrapped tighter around her waist. She ignored this, however, as her eyes darted from one corner of the room to another, her ears perked to any and every sound. The Inquisitor along with her companions remained asleep; Marrok was nowhere to be seen. The young girl felt panic. Where could he be? Was it possible that once he realized how weak she was that he wanted nothing to do with her? Was he disappointed in her?

She wanted nothing more than to curl into a ball and cry; to just disappear. Instead she pulled her legs closer to her body and rested her head onto her knees. She felt as though she should have known this would happen, she probably knew deep down that it would happen, but she didn't want to be right.

Marrok had always been there for her ever since he found her. He became her guardian. The wolf wasn't bounded to her in any way and was free to leave whenever he chooses, and at first she always expected him to leave her during the first few weeks he spent with her, but he stayed. Now was different. Now she was a ninja-in-training. Now she was able to defend herself.

' _But you still have a lot to learn,'_ the voice in the back of her head whispered. The voice felt strangely familiar. It made her feel warm and comforting, reassuring. ' _You train everyday to become stronger than you were the day before. He sees it. He's proud. He won't leave unless you want him to.'_ As if on cue, Marrok walked into the room, fur soaking wet from the rain, his paws covered in mud. He must have gone out to hunt for some food. He shook his body to whip some of mud and rain off, then settled down next to the fire to dry off. Shizuka felt relieved to see her guardian and practically threw herself onto him, wrapping him in a tight hug. Marrok was stunned at the sudden action. The wolf recovered and began scolding her for her actions earlier, the basic "you must be more careful," and "do not let your frustrations control your actions," but didn't push her away.

When he had first met her, she was very timid and weak, and would constantly jump or flinch at the slightest movement he made. Nonetheless, he was patient with her and would reassure her that he would not harm her in any way. He mentally shook himself from the memory. His ears perked to the girl's soft and steady breathing. He also noticed that her grip on his neck was looser as he shift his weight so the girl could lay on her back. He sighed (which to others-he seemed to be exhaling) as he sat up. The sun would rise in a few hours. Until then, he will stand guard for the rest of the night.

* * *

The next day, the team picked up where they left off. The Inquisitor as well as Sera and The Iron Bull were a bit reluctant to allow the child to continue traveling with them. The attack the previous day made the adults feel responsible, but the Inquisitor even more so since she allowed the Chunin to travel with them. However, none of them have brought up the attack and instead asked about how she felt. She just nodded as a response which confused the two companions. The Inquisitor was used to her silent treatment, the Iron Bull narrowed his eyes a bit and quickly put the pieces together. Sera became annoyed at her silence and decided to ignore her as retaliation. They did find a spirit who resided inside one of the abandoned houses. The red spirit announced their presents by saying,"Move! No, the other way!" and "Go, then!" as they approached.

"Yes?" The being asked as the Inquisitor stood in front of them.

"Are you a spirit or a demon?" The Inquisitor asked.

""Demon"? Those dolts who would suck this whole world dry? I am called to higher things."

"What is a spirit like you "called" to do?"

"I lead armies, kingdoms, lords. I am imperial. I am command. What of you? I felt you coming. Is there something alike in us?"

' _I hope not,'_ Shizuka thought barely suppressing a shiver.

"I think there must be."

"There better not be!" Sera commented, seeming to be as uncomfortable as Shizuka.

"I heard that," the spirit snapped. Shizuka felt a chill run down her spine. "Hear these two fingers. You-I'm not talking to it!" Sera retorted.

"What's so distressing about the world?"

"It _ignores_ me! I order the rocks to part. But they do not. I bid the sky draw close, and it stays still! I don't know how you mortals stand it." The Chunin was dumbfounded by the logic.

"Why haven't you gone back to the Fade?"

"I will not be denied, I refuse to leave until something obeys my orders!"

"Then I feel compelled to help you. I pledge myself to your service."

"Excellent! I have only one command. A creature made of rage have the gall to chase me across the lake. Destroy it in my name and be rewarded!"

"Rewarded how, by you taking over one of our heads?" The Iron Bull commented.

"Yours holds no interests."

"Works for me."

The Inquisitor and her companions were led by the spirit and they soon came face to face with the Rage demon. The demon intimidated Shizuka and it glided across the floor to meet them. She could not tell whether it was the aura of rage that radiated from the creature or that it was bigger than the one she fought the day before. The demon was accompanied by smaller creature. Shizuka took out her kunais and readied herself to fight the two creatures as they came closer. The Iron Bull let out a battle cry as her charged towards the Rage demon, swinging his sword across the demon's body repeatedly. Sera moved behind the group as began firing arrows at the smaller creature to slow it down as it glide towards the Iron Bull. The creature seemed irritated as moved its attention toward the archer. Before it could get any closer, Shizuka ran towards it, dodging its claws and sunk her blades into its sides. Shizuka felt a boost of energy as the demon went to swipe her away with its claws. She dodged it and kicked the creature forward. The Chunin went to get another weapon from her pouch when the demon suddenly gave a painful cry and sunk into the ground, leaving behind a large sword that was used to kill the creature. The Iron Bull huffed as he retrieved his sword. Shizuka went to retrieve her kunai, feeling frustrated that she did not get to finish off the demon. She felt that she had the situation under control and that his interference was not necessary.

' _They are only trying to help,'_ Marrok interrupted her train of thought.

"The Rage demon has been defeated," the Inquisitor said to the spirit.

"That was not the right demon!"

"It was not?"

Instead of answering, the spirit continued to glided forward, away from the group. They continued to walk, eventually finding a poorly made shack built between two large rocks. The Inquisitor opened the door and entered. Shizuka was the last to enter. Inside the shack was an entrance to a cave. The darkness made the Chunin feel anxious as her hands twitched closer to her pouch. The only source of light it would seem was a spirit that would pace in front of them, completely oblivious of their existence.

The Inquisitor felt a faint throb of her marked hand and glanced down. The throb continued. "Come on, let's find the Fade rift," The Inquisitor urged her companions.

"What's with the path? Did people used to live here?" The Iron Bull asked as the Inquisitor lit the built-in torch.

' _The cave has been used by someone, based on the torches, but I do not believe that someone or a group of people would have lived here.'_ Marrok answered his question despite knowing that he would not understand. Shizuka nodded, agreeing with him. The group continued further into the cave which seemed to be expansive. ' _How far does this cave go?'_ Shizuka asked.

' _I do not know,'_ Marrok answered.

At that moment, her nose wrinkled. There was a faint rancid scent, one that felt familiar as they had gotten closer. She gripped the hilt of her kunai and readied herself to face whatever was coming their way. Then the moaning came. Thats what alerted the rest of the group. The Inquisitor gripped her staff, the Iron Bull his sword, and Sera her bow. The smell and the sounds got stronger and louder as they came closer. The powerful scent allowed Shizuka to pinpoint the location of the undead and sprinted forward as fast as she could, grazing her blades against their sides, then launching her weapons towards their back, literally backstabbing them. She went to thrust two more kunais into their skulls, but stopped once Sera launched her own arrows into their skulls. The two zombie dropped dead once again (hopefully for the last time). She sighed as she retrieve her weapons.

The group retraced their steps once they had found their path was a dead-end and descended down the wooden planks that replaced the hard ground, then traveled further into the cave. It seemed that the further they went the more demons and corpses they encountered. At the moment, the cave seemed like a giant maze. They found multiple dead-ends and were forced to retraced their steps. The spirit was no help at all, having to disappear and reappear at random moments made it difficult for them to follow. It was a few moments later when they encountered the second Rage demon. Like the one before they entered the cave, the demon was accompanied by two other demons.

Shizuka felt the heated anger that radiated off the demon. It intimidated the girl how much anger it contained. This one felt stronger then the previous two that she had fought. The creatures growled once they had spotted the group and began sliding towards them. The Inquisitor preformed a spell that encased the Rage demon in ice while the two smaller demons continued forward. Sera launched arrow after arrow towards the two, distracting them while the Iron Bull charged toward the Rage demon. Shizuka assisted Sera with the smaller demons finishing them quickly. Shizuka panted as she glanced over to Marrok who was preoccupied with the Rage demon. Marrok chomped and clawed at the demon's arms and shoulder from behind, while the Iron Bull swung at its torso, the Inquisitor continued to throw elemental spells, mainly ice. The demon growled in frustration and pain as it tried to swat the wolf and the Qunari away, but was defeated before it had the chance to do so. Shizuka sighed in relief. Hopefully thats the last Rage demon they would have to deal with that day.

* * *

The Inquisitor found the rift that she had sensed before. As they got closer, three spirits emitted through the rift and were quickly disposed of. On the second wave, two Shade demons along with three spirits appeared. It took a bit longer than the first wave, but they were defeated as well, allowing the Inquisitor to close the rift.

She turned to her group,"Let's tell the mayor."

* * *

 ***A/N: First, I want to say that I am so sorry for the late update. Because some, or most, of you are in school I am trying to time the updates on the weekends, but because weekends make me lazy, I ended up procrastinating, so hopefully you are still with me on this story. I know it feels rushed because I wanted to get it done by today so I wouldn't have to stress and freak out about it later. Hopefully, the next update will be a lot smoother.**

 **Second, I would like to thank CalicoKat35, GuardianXAngel, kodokona 13, and manx160 for following, and CalicoKat35 and manx160 again for favoriting. I cannot begin to tell you how much it means to me that people like what I write and want me to continue. This honestly mean the world to me.**

 **And, last but not least, reviews:**

 **To Alternet RedSkys: I cannot believe it tool me so long to realize that I have been spelling your name incorrectly! I am so sorry! And thanks for the suggestion, I'll definitely look into it, but depending on how heavy it seems, I can't make any promises.**

 **And to helkil: I recruited Bull before the fall of Haven and he was not shown in the cutscenes when the Inquisitor was in the Chantry, so hopefully that'll clear up some confusion. And for character build, I'm going for the slow and gradual approach. Shizuka will open up more, but for the time being she is more cautious about her hood falling off. They will found out, but at the moment, the only ones who know are the Inquisitor, Cole, Solas, and Cullen.**

 **Oh, and before I go, I want to know, to those who will leave comments, just in case the updates take longer, please let me know if you would like me to message you in case you have any questions. I would really hate not responding as fast as I could to your questions. So, until next time, bye.***


	6. Author's Note

Hi, everyone! Sorry for the unexpected hiatus. A few things have happened in my personal life, and I ended loosing track of the story. I'm not gonna abandon it, but I feel like I should start fresh. What do you guys think?


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